New
#1
Nice read...thanks Kari!
Murdoch: illegal downloading is like stealing a handbag
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New #2
Lets take bets on how many posts before somebody gets banned or the thread gets locked
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New #5
I don't advocate piracy, but in some cases, trying out something before you buy it can save you from spending money on something that wasn't worth it. Back in '04, a friend passed along a copy of Half-Life 2, a torrented copy. It wad amazing. It was so good I went out and bought the Half-Life 2 + DM DVD and now own many Valve games on Steam legitimately. Unfortunately that's rarely the case for most people, and it's the sad truth that actual customers are the ones who are hurt by DRM, and not pirates. For example, Ubisoft has DRM on their latest games, requiring a constant Internet connection to play and to save. A few days a go their servers crashes, and people weren't able to play their games. It's the same thing with DVD releases. A pirate puts in a movie, it plays. A consumer puts in a movie, they're forced to look at an FBI warning for 10 seconds, then watch a bunch of unnecessary trailers, and finally navigate an overly-animated menu just to hit play. I have a diagram for this but I'm on my phone.
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New #6
Still, interesting especially when you consider the power News Corp wields. Creating a firewall guardian regarding their news content - vis-a-vis Google News - is something Murdoch is also keen on doing. Be an interesting fight to watch and how Google reacts. And in addition they seem adamant on creating paid for content (news information should not be taken for read as free I think Murdoch said) - The Times and WSJ newspapers. The Financial Times has already started doing so I believe.
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New #7
Slightly OT -- but for news you can use the BBC website for FREE and its probably better and more informed than any of the Murdoch stuff.
With regard to piracy -- I don't advocate it -- but like all these things there's ALWAYS a BUT.
Say I buy a DVD --to play on a Laptop --which IS designed for travelling.
Now I visit the USA quite regularly -- so why do I have to have the stupid regional encoding on a DVD (Reg 1 in the USA, 2 in Europe) which means that I can't play a DVD on the laptop if I buy a DVD while in the USA.
Of course I'll turn to "alternative sources" who've copied the DVD and made it Region 0 or Region Free.
A lot of the music / film people have shot themselves in the foot with their paranoia over copy protection. - In any case the tighter they say the algorithm is the more challenge it is for people to break it -- even though some of these hackers actually don't want to make money out of it - they are doing this just because they think they CAN do it.
On the bad side it encourages full scale commercial piracy - the profits of which go to enforce some of the more depraving activities of people's human nature.
Whilst not eliminating piracy in total a huge amount could be got rid of at a stroke by eliminating a lot of the unnecessary restrictions which plague digital entertainment.
After all Open Source software hasn't killed commercially developed software either - so opening up music / film products won't necessarily mean big losses for the producers -- sensibly priced products without huge playing restrictions will probably net them more profits than by continuing with the present policy of trying to police everything that moves.
Some digital music providers have actually discovered by allowing UNCOMPRESSED music format DRM free makes them MORE money than the old model ever did -- pity the "big players" can't see this too.
They've only themselves to blame -- and in any technological fight the "individual hackers" will always WIN over big corporations with their large management structures who can't change plans mid flight or get new hardware without going through endless management "strategy" and "planning" meetings -- the problem they are trying to solve will be obsolete even before it has finished the design stage.
Cheers
jimbo
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New #9
"The idea that there's a new consumer class and you have to be consumer-friendly when they're stealing stuff. No. There should be the same level of sanctity as there is around property. Content is no different. They're not crazy kids. No. Punish them."
These guys must be light headed from their flying or high.
The same laws protecting their current content also protects it anywhere regardless if its on the internet, in a shop or where ever else it is.
If you build a shop without walls you can expect people to come walking in and steal things but complaining about it and trying to get governments todo something about people stealing from your wall-less/window-less shop is a bit rich.
Why should governments do anything? If these corporations want to stop piracy they should protect their content better, Its not the governments job to protect a private citizins or company's work or property.
If the government does this then everyone and their dog will be paying to protect these corporations interests at our expense, They already require restrictive DRM conten so what else do they want and what are they really after?
Murdoch: illegal downloading is like stealing a handbag
Posted: 15 Mar 2010
James Murdoch: illegal downloading no different from stealing a handbag | Media | guardian.co.ukJames Murdoch: illegal downloading no different from stealing a handbag
News Corporation Europe and Asia chief calls for tough line on piracy, adding: 'They're not crazy kids. No. Punish them'
James Murdoch today called on governments to get tough on illegal downloading, which he said was no different from "going into a store and stealing Pringles or a handbag".
Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of News Corporation's European and Asian operations, was joined in calling for tougher piracy measures at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit today by other media executives including Ari Emanuel, co-chief executive of William Morris Endeavor, the biggest Hollywood talent agency.
... two to one ... by the end of the day..
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